The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-09-15
FRIGHTFUL EXECUTION.
The Awful Death of the Ling-Chi De-
scribed by an Eyewitness.
L

Canton Letter NetS York Truth,
China has always been famed for its tor
lures, of which the pulling out of nails,
beating on the face with a stiff piece of
leather till the features are indistinguish-
able, suspending by the thumbs and toes, or
starving to death in a cage, are among the
mildest. Many, of course, are quite unfit
for public description, and the Ling Chi"
is possibly not the least abominable and re-
voting. 1t is, moreover, only inflicted in
very heinouS cases, such as the murder of a
blood relation. The condemned man in this
instance poisoned his sister.
The execution was fixed to take place at
10 o'clock, and by $50 we had arrived at
the scene of action--a sort of narrow lane,
about eighty yards long, formed by two
rows of pottery sheds, and terminating at
one end by pair of massive wooden stairs,
at the other by high whitewashed wall--a
cut-deSdc. A huge wooden cross was
erected close under this wall.
Having taken up our station on one of the
roofs, at distance of about fifty feet from
the cross, we had not long to wait before
the Mandarin--the official deputed to super
intend the carrying out the sentence-ar-
rived. lie was preceded by about a dozen
soldiers armed with rattan canes, which
they laid about them pretty freely to clear
the way for the coming procession of sedan
chairs. An interval of about ten minutes,
and an increasing hubbub and movement of
the crowd at the gateway heralded the
approach of the condemned man, who pres
emily brought i'll in large basket, carried by
two coolies, his arms and legs being firmly
bound. A strip of wood, covered with
Chinese characters indicating the punish
ment about to be inflicted, was stuck into
his clothing at the back of his neck. He
was young, apparently about 30 years of
age 1t is said that the friends of prisoners
sometimes bride the jailers to drug them
before these terrible executions. If so, this
had obviously not been done in the present
instance, for the condemned man seemed in
perfect possession of his senses, and had a
wild, defiant look ON his face, which he car
ried to the last. Arrived at the foot of the
cross the basket was set down and its in
mate assisted out. He was then with the
exception of a waist-clothl stripped naked
and placed against the cross.
The process of pinionipg took All inter
minable time, and the poor wretch was very
roughly handled I could see the perspira-
ton pouring down his face as the fierce sun
beat upon his unprotected head and should
ers. He was bound to the cross with thin
bamboo strips around his ankles and above
the knees, and round the waist; his wrists
were secured to the arms of the cross, and
his head kept fast by two or three turns of
the bamboo strip across the eyes and in the
mouth, the last acting as a very efficient
gag.
The eXecutioner now made his appear
ance, carrying. wrapped in piece of ragged
cloth, a bundle of swords and knives, which,
with the utmost GOODNESS and precision. he
laid upon the ground under the very nose of
his victim. He then seized knife, a ter
rible broad bladed weapon, about ten inches
long, and barred his arms to the elbow All
was now ready. An inquiring look toward
the Mandarin who still sat in his sedan i'm
mediately under u.s., an affirmative nod
| from that official and the work of butchery
| commenced.
Two deep cuts over each eye and temple
deliberately executed began the operation
| gRshe; which turned great pieces of flesh
| over and left the bone eXpoSed-then a cut
| down each cheek and deeper one over each
| shoulder and under each armpit severing
| the tendons and arteries, and deluging the
| place with blood Circular cuts to the bone
| in each upper arm and foreman followed
| and then, stepping back to get more scope
the human devil who acted as executioner
| hacked off the right hand with one blow
| A large piece of flesh was then cut Tor rather
| dug, out of each thigh and from over each
knee, and the flesh torn off both knee caps
| The calves of both legs were then cut off
| The executioner then desisted for few
moments, and, wiping his hands with a
cloth, contemplated his handiYor with
evident satisfaction, very much as a skill
| full surgeon would do after a successful
| operation. | should mention that the cuts ]
have described were not given quickly, but
| the knife drawn deliberately through the
flesh. occupying at least twenty or thirty
seconds each time.
Another and smaller knife was now Sc
lected, and driven into the hilt under the
right breast bone, the executioner working
it about, while his assistants famed his
wretched victim with large palm-leaf fan,
for the double purpose of keeping off the
flies, which had already assembled in large
numbers, and hiding the hideous contor-
tons of the dying mans features, for he
was not yet dead, as | could see by the
working and twitching of the fingers of his
remaining hand. Ten or twelve seconds
more of this diabolical torture and he was
cut down from the cross to fall, inert and
helpless, on his knees and face.
One assistant now held back his arms,
while second held out his pigtai at full
length before him. Changing his knife for
big, heavy-looking sword, about five
inches broad at the cutting point, and which
he held in both hands, the executioner
stepped back pace, and, measuring his dis
lance, with one clean stroke, which heard,
as well as saw, severed the head from the
body at a blow. The conp-de-grdcs given,
the Mandarin disappeared, the gates were
thrown open, and the crowd poured in to
witness the final cutting up of the body.
The whole operation from its commence
ment probably occupied five minutes, but it
seemed like good hour to me.